ANCIENT HEBREW

Classical Hebrew

Why Hebrew?

יום טוב. Yom tov. Good day!

How do we usually conclude a prayer? We say “Amen”. That is a Hebrew word! It looks like this in Hebrew: אמן. You read it from right to left. Originally no vowels were indicated. Just ʾmn, and the ancient Israelites knew they had to say amen. In Biblical Hebrew manuscripts scribes added vowel signs in the early Middle Ages and the word looked like this: אָמֵן. In non-biblical Classical Hebrew manuscripts no vowels were written, and to this day in Modern Hebrew (or Ivrit as it is now called) no vowel signs are present!

You already know more Classical Hebrew than you think! Consider all the well-known names of the Old Testament: Adam, Eve, Abraham, Moses, David – these are all Hebrew words. Classical Hebrew is the language of the Hebrew Bible (what is called the “Old Testament” in Christian tradition). If you study it with us, we will discover a fascinating ancient language, a fascinating ancient culture, a fascinating ancient religion, and – in the end – the very foundation of three current “world” religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Choose Classical Hebrew if you want to discover the roots of many of our own religious practices and traditions. Take up the challenge of learning a language completely foreign to all of us – a new alphabet, a new way of writing, a language with a different rhythm, syntactical structures and completely new vocabulary. Yet, it is a language that is strangely familiar to postmodern people through centuries of religious traditions in various cultures in all parts of the world.

In our first year, we focus on introducing you to the Hebrew alphabet, basic grammar and vocabulary. We specifically focus on narrative texts from the Hebrew Bible. Most students know the stories, but discover the depth of meaning in these ancient narratives because they can read them in the language they have originally been written!

In later years, we focus on the analysis and interpretation of Hebrew Bible prose and poetic texts and broaden the scope to include non-biblical Hebrew texts from the so-called Second Temple Period literature.

First year Course Codes: HEB 110 & HEB 120

For more info, contact Ms Charlotte Sibanyoni ([email protected])